Appliance

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a cooking appliance. In the cooking appliance, a housing is coupled to a second front panel disposed at a front of an electronic component space, the housing accommodating a water tank is coupled to the second front panel, the second front panel has an access hole for allowing the water tank to come in and out, and the second front panel and the housing are coupled in a way that an open front surface of the housing connects to the access hole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2022-0096379, filed in Korea on Aug. 2, 2022, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance, and inparticular, a cooking appliance provided with a door for opening andclosing a cooking space.

2. Background

Cooking appliances may be installed in the kitchen and used to cook fooditems. Cooking appliances can fall into different categories, based on aheat source or a type, and the sort of fuel. Additionally, cookingappliances can be categorized into an open cooking appliance in which afood item is placed in an open space, and a sealed cooking appliance inwhich a food item is placed in a closed space, based on a way of cookinga food item. Examples of the sealed cooking appliance comprise an oven,a microwave oven and the like, and examples of the open cookingappliance comprise a cooktop, a hob and the like.

In the sealed cooking appliance, a space in which a food item is placedmay be shielded to be enclosed and insulated, and the shielded space maybe heated to cook the food item. The sealed cooking appliance mayinclude a cooking space in which a food item is placed and in which afood item is cooked. The cooking space may be closed or otherwiseshielded while a food item is being cooked.

Sealed cooking appliances may be categorized into gas ovens and electricovens based on the type of a heat source. Gas ovens use a gas, such asmethane, as a fuel and cook a food item by using flames that aregenerated by supplying gas to a burner and igniting the burner. Unlikegas ovens, electric ovens use electricity as a heat source and cook afood item by using heat that is emitted from an electric heater.

In recent years, steam ovens have come on the market and cook a fooditem by using high-temperature steam. Steam ovens spray high-temperaturesteam into a cooking space, and adjust humidity and temperature based onan amount of the steam, preventing a food item from drying andpotentially cooking a large amount of food in stages. Additionally,steam ovens can provide a function of maintaining taste and flavor ofcooked food and the like.

A steam oven typically includes a cabinet forming the exterior of thesteam oven, a cavity disposed in the cabinet and forming a cooking spaceto receive the steam, a door opening and closing the front opening ofthe cooking space, and a steam supplier supplying steam into the cookingspace. The steam supplier can include a steam generator generatingsteam, and a water supplier supplying water to the steam generator. Awater supply pipe may connect the water supplier and the steamgenerator, to allow water in a water tank to move to the steamgenerator. The steam generator may include a water storage thataccommodates water supplied from the water supplier, and a heater thatheats the water in the water storage and generates steam. In the steamoven, water injected through the water supplier flows into the waterstorage through the water supply pipe, the water having flown into thewater storage may be heated by the heater to generate steam, and thegenerated steam flows into the cooking space and circulates in thecooking space, to cook a food item.

In the steam oven, the water supplier can be disposed in an electroniccomponent space that may be a space formed separately of the cookingspace. The water supplier can be provided such that the water suppliermay be drawn to the front of the electronic component space. The watersupplier can comprise a housing and a water tank. The housing may befixed to the electronic component space. The housing has anaccommodation space therein, the accommodation space accommodating thewater tank, and the front surface of the housing may be open forward.The water tank may be installed in the housing such that the water tankcan move in the accommodation space of the housing in the front-reardirection, and the water tank can be withdrawn through the front of theelectronic component space.

A front panel can be provided at the front of the cavity defining thecooking space. The front panel can be disposed at the front of thecavity and form the exterior of the front surface of the steam oven. Thefront panel can form the exterior of the front surface of the steam ovenwhile shielding the front edge area of the cavity. Additionally, aportion of the front panel can extend upward above the cavity, and maybe disposed at the front of the electronic component space. A portion ofthe front panel, disposed at the front of the electronic component spacemay cover the electronic component space from the front of theelectronic component space.

The front panel formed, as described above, can form the exterior of thefront surface of the steam oven, which may be exposed as the door opensthe cooking space. The front panel can form the exterior of the frontsurface of the steam oven while shielding the front edge area of thecavity and the electronic component space from the front thereof.

The steam oven may be further include a control panel for displaying theoperation adjustment and the operation state of the steam oven. Thecontrol panel may be disposed above the door closing the cooking space.The water tank can pass through the front panel disposed at the front ofthe electronic component space and be drawn to the front of theelectronic component space. To this end, the front panel may have anopen hole that forms a passage through which the water tank passes. Theopen hole may be disposed in an area between the cooking space and thecontrol panel.

The open hole may be exposed when the door opens the cooking space, andthe open hole may be not exposed when the door closes the cooking space.Thus, in the state where the door opens the cooking space, the watertank can be drawn, and in the state where the door closes the cookingspace, the open hole and the water tank may be not exposed externally.

Additionally, in the case of a steam oven that has a size less than thatof the steam oven structured as described above, i.e., a steam oven thathas a cooking space of capacity less than that of the steam ovenstructured as described above or a steam oven that has an entire sizeless than that of the steam oven structured as described above whilehaving the same capacity as that of the steam oven structured asdescribed above, a distance between the cooking space and the controlpanel can be less than that of the steam oven structured as describedabove. In the smaller steam oven (hereafter, “a small-and-medium-sizedsteam oven”), a space for installing the water supplier may be not beavailable between the cavity in which the cooking space may be formedand the control panel.

For the water supplier to be disposed between the cooking space and thecontrol panel, a sufficient gap between the upper surface of the cavityand the control panel needs to be ensured in the up-down direction.However, it may be difficult to ensure the gap in asmall-and-medium-sized steam oven. To ensure such a gap in asmall-and-medium-sized steam oven, the small-and-medium-sized steam ovencan have an excessively long up-down length, compared to the entire sizeof the small-and-medium-sized steam oven.

In the small-and-medium-sized steam oven, the control panel may serve asa cover covering the electronic component space from the front of theelectronic component space, instead of the front panel. Accordingly, thewater supplier, in particular, the water tank, may be disposed in anarea behind the control panel. In the case where the water tank may bedisposed in the area behind the control panel as described above, anaccess hole may be formed on the control panel and form a passagethrough which the water tank passes. Since the access hole formed on thecontrol panel may be exposed to the outside of the steam ovenconstantly, the access hole can degrade the aesthetic qualities of thesteam oven.

An example of a first home appliance comprising a movable control panelis discussed in European Patent No. EP 3080517 (corresponding to U.S.Patent Publication No. 2016-0320067). The first home appliance includesa storage space accommodating components of the home appliance anddisposed at the upper side of the home appliance. The control panel maybe disposed at the upper side of a door and may cover the front surfaceof the storage space. The control panel may move in the up-downdirection. When the control panel moves upward, the storage space can beaccessed. Accordingly, a tank can readily be removed from the storagespace or inserted into the storage space. When the control panel movesdownward, the front surface of the storage space may be covered by thecontrol panel, and access to the storage space and the tank insertedinto the storage space may be limited.

According to this first home appliance having a movable control panel,the path of movement of the control panel may be divided into a firstpath and a second path. Between a closing position in which the controlpanel closes the storage space and an opening position in which thecontrol panel opens the storage space totally, the first path may be alower section comprising the closing position, and the second path maybe an upper section between the end of the first path and the openingposition.

In the first path, the control panel can be moved by a moving devicecomprising a driving motor. In the second path, a motor driving forcemay be not applied to the control panel, and the control panel may bemoved based on the user's manipulation. Thus, the control panel movesautomatically in the first path, and then moves manually in the secondpath, such that the storage space of the control panel may be open.According to configuration, the storage space opened and closed by thecontrol panel may be not open completely. An automatic movement of thecontrol panel can lead to a partial opening of the storage space. Toopen the storage space completely, the user needs to perform a manualmanipulation additionally to move up the control panel manually. Forexample, in this home appliance, the control panel needs to bemanipulated manually to access the tank, causing inconvenience to theuser.

Additionally, the control panel may be disposed very close the upper endof the door. In the case where a manual manipulation may be performed inthis position to move up the control panel manually, the user may beexposed to heat discharged from the upper end of the door and an areaaround the upper end of the door. For example, for the first homeappliance, the control panel needs to be manipulated manually to ensureaccess to the tank, causing inconvenience to the user and increasing therisk of injuries of the user due to heat from opening the door.

According to this first home appliance having a movable control panel,the control panel moves upward to open the storage space. The controlpanel moved upward may be placed between the user's eyes and the tank.The control panel disposed as described above may become an obstaclethat covers the tank from the user's sight. Accordingly, in the processof drawing or inserting the tank, the tank may be not seen well, causinginconvenience to the user, and the user needs to bend such the user'seye level may be placed under the control panel.

A second home appliance comprising a movable control panel is discussedin U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010-0206414, which is now issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,726,791. According to the second home appliance, the controlpanel may be disposed near the upper end of the second home applianceand provided in a way that moves between a stop position and an exposureposition. A storage container shaped into a water drawer may be disposedat the rear of the control panel, in the second home appliance. When thecontrol panel is in the stop position, the storage container at the rearof the control panel may be covered by the control panel and not seen.The control panel can move in the up-down direction and move between thestop position and the exposure position. The control panel can moveupward from the stop position to the exposure position. When the controlpanel is moved to the exposure position described above, the storagecontainer can be exposed forward at the lower side of the control panel.When the storage container may be exposed forward as described above, itmay be possible to access the storage container for charge of water.

According to the second home appliance, the control panel can moveautomatically. For example, the control panel can automatically movefrom the stop position to the exposure position and from the exposureposition to the stop position. Like the control panel of the first homeappliance, the control panel of the second home appliance moves upwardand exposes the storage container forward. Thus, according to the secondhome appliance, in the process of withdrawing or inserting the tank, thetank may be not seen well, causing inconvenience to the user, and theuser will generally need to bend such the user's eye level may be placedunder the control panel.

According to the second home appliance, even though the control panelmoves automatically, the user will perform a manual manipulation to holdand draw the storage container. However, since the process of drawingthe storage container may be performed very close to the upper end ofthe door, the user may be burned due to heat discharged from the upperend of the door and an area around the upper end of the door in theprocess of drawing the storage container.

The above references are incorporated by reference herein whereappropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternativedetails, features and/or technical background.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the followingdrawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing that the innerstructure of the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing that a cooking space of the cookingappliance in FIG. 1 is open;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing that a control panel of the cookingappliance in FIG. 1 is open;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the inner structure of an electroniccomponent space of the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a front exploded perspective view separately showing a controlpanel and a water supply device of the cooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 7 is a rear exploded perspective view separately showing a secondfront panel and a housing in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view separately showing the second frontpanel in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view separately showing the housing inFIG. 5 ;

FIG. 10 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a coupling structurebetween the second front panel and the housing in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 11 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a contact structurebetween the second front panel and a water tank in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view separately showing an upper panel and ahousing of a cooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a coupling state between the upper paneland the housing in FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a coupling state between the upper paneland the housing in FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged front view showing the front surface of a watertank that is exposed to the front of a cooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view along line ““XVI-XVI” in FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view separately showing a water tank ofa cooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the water tank in FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 19 is a front cross-sectional view showing a coupling structurebetween a housing and water tank in one example;

FIG. 20 is a view showing an operation state of an opening module of acooking appliance in one example;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXI” in FIG. 20 ;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view along line “XXII-XXII” in FIG. 20 ;

FIG. 23 is a view showing a rotation state of a push member in FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 24 is a view showing a change in the gradients of a control panelof a cooking appliance in one example; and

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a drawn state of a water tank of acooking appliance in one example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above-described aspects, features and advantages are specificallydescribed hereafter with reference to accompanying drawings such thatone having ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertainscan embody the technical spirit of the disclosure easily. In thedisclosure, detailed description of known technologies in relation tothe subject matter of the disclosure is omitted if it is deemed to makethe gist of the disclosure unnecessarily vague Hereafter, preferredembodiments according to the disclosure are specifically described withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identicalreference numerals can denote identical or similar components.

The terms “first”, “second” and the like are used herein only todistinguish one component from another component. Thus, the componentsare not to be limited by the terms. Certainly, a first component can bea second component, unless stated to the contrary.

Embodiments are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein, and canbe modified and changed in various different forms. The embodiments inthe disclosure are provided such that the disclosure can be through andcomplete and fully convey its scope to one having ordinary skill in theart. Accordingly, all modifications, equivalents or replacements as wellas a replacement of the configuration of any one embodiment with theconfiguration of another embodiment or an addition of the configurationof any one embodiment to the configuration of another embodiment, withinthe technical spirit and scope of the disclosure, are to be included inthe scope of the disclosure.

The accompanying drawings are provided for a better understanding of theembodiments set forth herein and are not intended to limit the technicalspirit of the disclosure. It is to be understood that all themodifications, equivalents or replacements within the spirit andtechnical scope of the disclosure are included in the scope of thedisclosure. The sizes or thicknesses of the components in the drawingsare exaggerated or reduced to ensure ease of understanding and the like.However, the protection scope of the subject matter of the disclosure isnot to be interpreted in a limited way.

The terms in the disclosure are used only to describe specificembodiments and not intended to limit the subject matter of thedisclosure. In the disclosure, singular forms include plural forms aswell, unless explicitly indicated otherwise. In the disclosure, theterms “comprise”, “being comprised of” and the like specify the presenceof stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components orcombinations thereof but do not imply the exclusion of the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components or combinations thereof. Similarly, the terms“first”, “second” and the like are used herein only to distinguish onecomponent from another component, and the components are not to belimited by the terms.

When any one component is described as being “connected” or “coupled” toanother component, any one component can be directly connected orcoupled to another component, but an additional component can be“interposed” between the two components or the two components can be“connected” or “coupled” by an additional component. When any onecomponent is described as “being directly connected” or “being directlycoupled” to another component, an additional component cannot be“interposed” between the two components or the two components cannot be“connected” or “coupled” by an additional component.

When any one component is described as being “on (or under)” anothercomponent, any one component can be directly on (or under) anothercomponent, and an additional component can be interposed between the twocomponents.

Unless otherwise defined, all the terms including technical orscientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by one having ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, termssuch as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art, and unless explicitly defined herein,are not to be interpreted in an ideal way or an overly formal way.

In the state where a cooking appliance stands on the floor, a directionin which a door is installed with respect to the center of the cookingappliance is defined as a forward direction. Accordingly, a directiontoward the inside of the cooking appliance with the door open is definedas a rearward direction. For convenience, the forward direction and therearward direction can be referred to as a first direction. Then theforward direction is referred to as one direction of the firstdirection, and the rearward direction is referred to as the otherdirection of the first direction.

Additionally, a gravitational direction can be defined as a downwarddirection, and a direction opposite to the gravitational direction canbe defined as an upward direction.

Further, a horizontal direction across a front-rear direction of thecooking appliance, i.e., a widthwise direction of the cooking appliancethat is seen in front of the door of the cooking appliance, can bereferred to as a left-right direction. For convenience, the left-rightdirection can be referred to as a second direction. Then the right sidecan be referred to as one direction of the second direction, and theleft side can be referred to as the other direction of the seconddirection. Further, the widthwise direction of the cooking appliance canalso be referred to as a lateral direction. Then the right side can alsobe referred to as one side of the lateral direction, and the left sidecan be referred to the other side of the lateral direction.

Additionally, an up-down direction can be referred to as a thirddirection. Then an upward direction can be referred to as one directionof the third direction, and a downward direction can be referred to asthe other direction of the third direction. Furthermore, the up-downdirection can be referred to as a vertical direction. Then thefront-rear direction and the left-right direction, i.e., the firstdirection and the second direction, can be referred to as a horizontaldirection.

Throughout the disclosure, the terms “A and/or B” as used herein candenote A, B or A and B, and the terms “C to D” can denote C or greaterand D or less, unless stated to the contrary.

[Entire Structure of Cooking Appliance]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooking appliance in one example,and FIG. 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing the inner structureof the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective viewshowing that a cooking space of the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 is open,and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing that a control panel of thecooking appliance in FIG. 1 is open.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the exterior of the cooking appliance in oneexample may be formed by a main body 100. The main body 100 may have ashape comprising an approximate rectangle shape. The main body 100 maybe made of a material of predetermined strength, to protect a pluralityof parts that may be installed in the inner space of the main body 100.

The main body 100 may comprise a cavity (or cavity walls) 110. Thecavity 110 may form the skeleton of the main body 100. The main body 100may further comprise front panels 120, 130. A first front panel 120 maybe provided as one of the front panels 120, 130. The first front panel120 may be disposed between the cavity 110 and a door 150. The firstfront panel 120 may be disposed at the front of the cavity 110 and formthe front surface of the main body 100.

In another example, the first front panel 120 may be not provided apartfrom the cavity 110, and the front surface of the cavity 110 may formthe front surface of the main body 100. For example, the cavity 110 andthe first front panel 120 may be integrally provided at the main body100.

A cooking space 101 may be formed in the cavity 110. Additionally, anopen part 126 (see FIG. 6 ) may be formed in the first front panel 120,and open the cooking space 101 forward. The cooking space 101 may have acuboid shape with an open front surface. In when the cooking space 101is closed, the cooking appliance heats the inner space of the cookingspace 101 to cook a food item. For example, in the cooking appliance, afood item may be cooked in the inner space of the cooking space 101.

The cooking appliance may include a heating part (or heater) that heatsthe cooking space 101. As an example of the heating part, a convectionpart 160 may be provided at the rear of the cooking space 101, andperform convection of hot air and heat the inner space of the cookingspace 101. For example, the convection part 160 may include a heatingelement to generate heat from burning fuel or electricity, and a fan todistribute the heat into the cooking space 101.

Additionally, an upper heater 165 or an upper burner may be provided asthe heating part at the supper side of the cooking space 11 and heat theinner space of the cooking space 101 from above. Further, a lower heateror a lower burner may be provided as the heating part at the lower sideof the cooking space 101 and heat the inner space of the cooking space101 from below.

The door 150 may be swivably provided at the front of the main body 100and open and close the cooking space 101 selectively. For example, thedoor 150 may open and close the cooking space 101 in a pull-down manner,i.e., in a way that the upper end of the door 150 swivels up and downaround the lower end of the door 150.

The door 150 may be shaped into a cuboid that has a predeterminedthickness entirely. Additionally, a handle 155 may be provided on thefront surface of the door 150, such that the user grips the handle 150when the user swivels the door 150.

The door 150 may include a see-through window. The see-through windowmay be made of a transparent material, e.g., glass, transparent plasticsand the like. In the case of a cooking appliance to which a see-throughwindow is applied, the see-through window resists high temperature andhigh pressure, and may further have a water resistant function to resistmoisture from steam, a heat resistant function and the like.

An electronic component space 103 may be provided outside the cavity110, such at an upper side of the cavity 110. In other examples, theelectronic component space 103 may be provided at a side or below thecavity 110, or may be provided in a separate cabinet. The electroniccomponent space 103 may be disposed at the upper sides of the cavity 110and the cooking space 101 formed in the cavity 110. A space forinstalling electronic components may be formed in the electroniccomponent space 103.

The front surface of the electronic component space 103 may be shieldedby the front panels 120, 130. A second front panel 130 may be providedas one of the front panels 120, 130. The second front panel 130 mayblock the front of the electronic component space 103, and be disposedbetween the electronic component space 103 and the control panel 200. Inan example, the second front panel 130 may be disposed at the upper sideof the first front panel 120, and coupled to the first front panel 120.

The second front panel 130 may protrude to the upper portion of thecavity 110 and define the front boundary surface of the electroniccomponent space 103. For example, all or most of the front of theelectronic component space 103 may be blocked by the second front panel130. Additionally, a portion of the front of the electronic componentspace 103, i.e., a portion of the lower side of the electronic componentspace 103, may be blocked by the first front panel 120.

Further, the front panels 120, 130 may include an exhaust opening 122(see FIG. 6 ). In the example, the exhaust opening 122 may be providedat the first front panel 120. The exhaust opening 122 may be formed in away that penetrates the first front panel 120 in the front-reardirection. The exhaust opening 122 may form a passage enabling air inthe electronic component space 103 to pass through the front panel 120and be discharged out of the electronic component space 103, on thefront panel 120.

In another example, the front panel 120 may be not provided apart fromthe cavity 110, and the front surface of the cavity 110 may form thefront surface of the main body 100. At this example, the exhaust opening122 may be provided on the front surface of the cavity 110 that has ashape corresponding to the shape of the front panel 120.

A control panel 200 may be provided in the upper portion of the frontsurface of the cooking appliance, i.e., on the front surface of theupper portion of the cavity 110. The control panel 200 may form aportion of the exterior of the front surface of the cooking appliance. Aportion of the control panel 200 may be disposed at the front of theelectronic component space 103. Additionally, a portion of the controlpanel 200 may be disposed at the front of the second front panel 130.

The control panel 200, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , may be providedto open and close in front of the electronic component space 103 or thesecond front panel 130. The control panel 200 may be provided to swivelbetween a closing position where the control panel 200 blocks theelectronic component space 103 or the second front panel 130 and anopening position where the control panel 200 opens the electroniccomponent space 103 or the second front panel 130 forward. The swivelstructure of the control panel 200 is described below.

The control panel 200 may include a display part (or a display). Thedisplay part may comprise an input part (or input device) for adjustingthe operation of the cooking appliance, and a display displayinginformation such as the operation state of the cooking appliance. In anexample, the input part and the display may be formed by one panel. Forexample, the input part and the display may be formed into a touch panelthat may be supplied with a touch input of the user. The display partmay display a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) inrelation to the operation of the cooking appliance. For example, abutton for setting the operation of the heating part may be displayed onthe display part. Additionally, a button for setting the opening andclosing operation of the control panel 200 may be displayed on thedisplay.

[Inner Structure of Electronic Component Space]

FIG. 5 may be a plan view showing the inner structure of an electroniccomponent space of the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 . Referring to FIGS.2 to 5 , the lower boundary surface of the electronic component space103 may be defined by an upper panel 140 that may be disposed at theupper side of the cavity 110. Additionally, the upper boundary surfaceof the electronic component space 103 may be defined by an electroniccomponent space cover 145 that covers the electronic component space 103from above.

Further, the electronic component space 103's lateral and rear boundarysurfaces may be defined by lateral surfaces and a rear surface of theelectronic component space cover 145 or may be defined by lateralsurfaces of the cavity 110 protruding to the upper portion of thecooking space 101 and the rear surface of the electronic component space145 protruding to the upper portion of the cooking space 101.

A vent hole may be formed on at least one of lateral surfaces or rearsurface the electronic component space cover 145's, or lateral surfacesof the cavity 110′. Through the vent hole, external air may flow intothe electronic component space 103.

Various types of electronic components may be disposed in the electroniccomponent space 103. For example, a circuit board may be disposed in theelectronic component space 103. The circuit board may include varioustypes of elements, circuits and the like in relation to the receipt of amanipulation signal input through the control panel 200, the generationof a control signal for controlling the operation of the heating part,and the like.

The upper panel 140 may comprise a blocking panel part (or blockingpanel region) 141 and a duct part (or duct region) 143. The blockingpanel part 141 may be disposed to block of cover a region between thecavity 110 and the electronic component space 103. The blocking panel141 may be disposed at the upper side of the cavity 110 and define thelower boundary surface of the electronic component space 103.

The duct part 143 may be formed to protrude upward from the blockingpanel part 141. The duct part 143 may form a passage for discharging airin the electronic component space 103 out of the electronic componentspace 103 through the inside of the duct part 143. For example, the ductpart 143 may form a passage allowing air suctioned by a fan module 170described hereafter to flow to the exhaust opening 122.

The fan module 170 may be disposed in the electronic component space103. The fan module 170 may be disposed relative closer to a sideadjacent to the rear surface of the cavity 110, i.e., may be disposed ina position eccentric to the rear of the electronic component space 103,in the electronic component space 103. The fan module 170 may comprise aturbo fan or other type of fan installed in the electronic componentspace 103. The fan module 170 may suction external air through the rearof the electronic component space 103 and discharge the air to the frontof the electronic component space 103.

Based on the operation of the fan module 170, external air may flow intothe electronic component space 103 from the rear and sides of thecooking appliance. For example, external air drawn through the lowerportion of the main body 100 may pass through the rear of the cookingappliance, and then flow into the electronic component space 103 throughthe vent hole formed at the rear of the electronic component space 103.Additionally, external air may also flow into the electronic componentspace 103 through the vent hole formed at the sides of the electroniccomponent space 103.

The air flowing into the electronic component space 103 may cool theelectronic components in the electronic component space 103 while movingforward in the electronic component space 103. For example, the airflowing into the electronic component space 103 may be suctioned intothe duct part 143 by the fan module 170. The air flowing into the ductpart 143 may move forward in the duct part 143, and then be dischargedto the front of the electronic component space 103 through the exhaustopening 122.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , a water supply device 300 may be disposed inthe electronic component space 103. The water supply device 300 mayprovide water to generate steam in a steam supply device. The steamsupply device heats water to generate steam, such that steam generatedby the steam supply device may be provided into the cooking space 101through a steam nozzle.

[Structure of Water Supply Device]

FIG. 6 is a front exploded perspective view separately showing a controlpanel and a water supply device of the cooking appliance in one example,and FIG. 7 is a rear exploded perspective view separately showing asecond front panel and a housing in FIG. 5 . Additionally, FIG. 8 is arear perspective view separately showing the second front panel in FIG.5 , and FIG. 9 is a front perspective view separately showing thehousing in FIG. 5 . Further, FIG. 10 is a lateral cross-sectional viewshowing a coupling structure between the second front panel and thehousing in FIG. 5 , and FIG. 11 is a lateral cross-sectional viewshowing a contact structure between the second front panel and a watertank in FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7 , the water supply device 300 may comprise ahousing 310 and a water tank 320. The housing 310 may be fixed to theinside of the electronic component space 103, and the water tank 320 maybe movably accommodated in the housing 310. In an example, the housing310 may be disposed at the upper side of the upper panel 140.Additionally, the water tank 320 may be accommodated in the housing 310in a way that the water tank 320 can move in the front-rear direction.

The water tank 320 may pass through one or more of the front panels 120,130 in the electronic component space 103 and may be withdrawn from thefront of the cooking appliance. For example, the water tank 320 may passthrough the second front panel 130 in the electronic component space 103and be withdrawn from the front of the cooking appliance. When thecontrol panel 200 blocks the fronts of the electronic component space103 and the second front panel 130, the water tank 320 may not beexposed and withdrawn forward. The water tank 320 may pass through thesecond front panel 130 and be withdrawn from the front of the cookingappliance only when the control panel 200 opens the electronic componentspace 103 and the second front panel 130 opens forward to expose thewater tank 320.

The water tank 320 may accommodate water therein. The water tank 320 mayinclude an injection opening. Water may be injected into the water tank320 through the injection opening, and the injection opening may beopened and closed by a stopper 321.

Each of the water tank 320 and the housing 310 may include a nozzle 315,323. The water accommodated in the water tank 320 may be discharged outof the water tank 320 through the nozzle 323 of the water tank 320. Thenozzle 323 of the water tank 320 may connect to the nozzle 315 of thehousing 310 when the water tank 320 was inserted into the housing 310.

The nozzle 315 of the housing 310 may connect to a pump 340 disposed atthe rears of the water tank 320 and the housing 310, in the electroniccomponent space 103. The pump 340 may connect to the water tank 320through the nozzles 315, 323 and pump the water stored in the water tank320. The pump 304 may supply the water accommodated in the water tank320 to the steam supply device.

The water supply device 300 may further comprise a water tank sensingpart (or water tank sensor) 330. The water tank sensing part 330 maysense the position of the water tank 320. For example, the water tanksensing part 330 may sense whether the water tank 320 was inserted intothe housing 310 or whether the water tank 320 was withdrawn from thehousing 310.

In the example, the water tank sensing part 330 comprises a microswitch,and the water tank sensing part 330 may be turned on (ON)/turned off(OFF) based on the movement of an actuator that protrudes on themicroswitch. In an example, the water tank sensing part 330 may bedisposed in the side portion of the housing 310. The actuator of thewater tank sensing part 330 may be disposed in a way that the actuatorprotrudes to the inside of the housing 310 toward the water tank 320.For example, the water tank sensing part 330 may sense the position ofthe water tank 320 in a way that the water tank sensing part 330 may beturned on/off based on the movement of the water tank 320.

[Coupling Structure Between Second Front Panel and Housing]

The second front panel 130 may be disposed between the electroniccomponent space 103 and the control panel 200. The second front panel130 may be disposed to cover the front of the electronic component space103.

The water tank 320 may be disposed at the rear of the second front panel130. The second front panel 130 may include an access hole 132. Theaccess hole 132 may be formed in a way that penetrates the second frontpanel 130 in the front-rear direction. The water tank 320 may passthrough the second front panel 130 through the access hole 132.

The second front panel 130 may be disposed at the upper side of thefirst front panel 120, and coupled to the first front panel 120. Thefirst front panel 120 may comprise protruding surface (or protrusions)parts 123, 125 that protrude upward from a lateral end of the firstfront panel 120, and the second front panel 130 may be coupled to theprotruding surface parts 123, 125. The protruding surface parts 123, 125may be respectively disposed at both sides of the first front panel 120in the lateral direction thereof. For example, a pair of protrudingsurface parts 123, 125 may be spaced from each other in the lateraldirection, with the open part 126 therebetween. Additionally, the secondfront panel 130 may be disposed between the pair of protruding surfaceparts 123, 125 and coupled to each of the pair of protruding surfaceparts 123, 125.

In an example, the first front panel 120 may be formed in a way that theupper ends of both sides of the first front panel 120 protrude upward,i.e., may have a “

” shape (e.g., an inverted A shape). The second front panel 130 may bedisposed between the protruding upper ends of both sides of the firstfront panel 120. The end portions of both sides of the second frontpanel 130 may be respectively coupled to the protruding end portions ofboth sides of the first front panel 120.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 , the second front panel 130 may comprise apanel main body part 131. The panel main body part 131 may comprise avertically planar surface that blocks the front of the electroniccomponent space 103. In an example, the panel main body part 131 mayhave an approximate rectangle shape. The panel main body part 131 may beformed to have a vertically planar surface that extends in the lateraldirection.

The second front panel 130 may include an access hole 132. The accesshole 132 may be formed in a way that penetrates the panel main body part131 in the front-rear direction. Additionally, a first inner wall part131 a, a second inner wall part 131 b and a pair of third inner wallparts 131 c may be provided around the access hole 132.

The first inner wall part 131 a may be disposed at the lower side of theaccess hole 132, and the second inner wall part 131 b may be disposed atthe upper side of the access hole 132. Additionally, the third innerwall parts 131 c may be disposed respectively in both lateral portionsof the access hole 132. For example, the first inner wall part 131 a maydefine the lower boundary surface of the access hole 132, and the secondinner wall part 131 b may define the upper boundary surface of theaccess hole 132. The third inner wall part 131 c may define the lateralboundary surface of the access hole 132.

Further, the first inner wall part 131 a, the second inner wall part 131b, and the third inner wall part 131 c may respectively protruderearward from the panel main body part 131. The first inner wall part131 a, the second inner wall part 131 b, and the third inner wall part131 c may respectively comprise a planar surface that extends in thefront-rear direction. For example, the first inner wall part 131 a andthe second inner wall part 131 b may have a shape comprising ahorizontally planar surface that extends in the front-rear direction.The third inner wall part 131 c may have a shape comprising a verticallyplanar surface that extends in the front-rear direction.

The first inner wall part 131 a, the second inner wall part 131 b, andthe third inner wall part 131 c may be disposed on the path in which thewater tank 320 moves. Accordingly, the inner surface of each of thefirst inner wall part 131 a, the second inner wall part 131 b and thethird inner wall part 131 c, which faces the outer surface of the watertank 320, may be shaped into a planar surface parallel with the outersurface of the water tank 320. For example, the first inner wall part131 a, the second inner wall part 131 b, and the third inner wall part131 c may guide a movement and position of the water tank 320.

The housing 310 accommodating the water tank 320 may be disposed at therear of the second front panel 130. The housing 310 may be disposed inthe electronic component space 103, and coupled to the second frontpanel 130. The housing 310, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9 , may have anopen front surface. The housing 310 may be coupled to the second frontpanel 130 in a way that the open front surface of the housing 310connects to the access hole 132. Additionally, the housing 310 may havean upper surface that may be open. The housing 310 may be shaped into acuboid the front surface and the upper surface of which may beapproximately open, and comprise a bottom surface part 311, and a pairof lateral surface parts 313.

The bottom surface part 311 may form the bottom surface of the housing310, and be disposed at the lower side of the water tank 320.Additionally, the lateral surface part 313 may form the lateral surfaceof the housing 310, and connect to the bottom surface part 311. The pairof lateral surface parts 313 may extend upward from the end portions ofboth sides of the bottom surface part 311, and each of the lateralsurface parts 313 may be disposed in the lateral portion of the watertank 320.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 10 , the housing 310 and the second front panel130 may be coupled while the front surface of the housing 310 contactsthe rear surface of the second front panel 130. In the case where thehousing 310 may be coupled to the second front panel 130, at least aportion of the bottom surface part 311 may overlap the second frontpanel 130 in the up-down direction.

In an example, the bottom surface part 311 may comprise a supportsurface 311 a and an overlap surface 311 b. The support surface 311 amay be disposed at the lower side of the water tank 320, and may occupymost of the area of the bottom surface part 311. The overlap surface 311b may protrude forward from the support surface 311 a.

At a time of coupling between the housing 310 and the second front panel130, the overlap surface 311 b may be disposed to protrude to the secondfront panel 130. At a time of coupling between the housing 310 and thesecond front panel 130, the overlap surface 311 b may be disposed tooverlap the bottom surface of the second front panel 130 in the up-downdirection.

The housing 310 may be coupled to the second front panel 130 while theend portion of the front of the housing 310 contacts the rear surface ofthe second front panel 130. In an example, the housing 310 and thesecond front panel 130 may be coupled in the state where the endportions of the fronts of the bottom surface part 311 and the lateralsurface parts 313 contact the end portions of the rears of the firstinner wall part 131 a and the third inner wall part 131 c.

The overlap surface 311 b may be disposed at the lower side of thesupport surface 311 a, and a step may be formed between the overlapsurface 311 b and the support surface 311 a. At a time of couplingbetween the housing 310 and the second front panel 130, the overlapsurface 311 b may be disposed at the lower side of the bottom surface ofthe second front panel 130.

In an example, the first inner wall part 131 a may form a portion of thebottom surface of the second front panel 130. Accordingly, the firstinner wall part 131 a may form the bottom surface of the second frontpanel 130, in the lower area of the access hole 132. Thus, at a time ofcoupling between the housing 310 and the second front panel 130, theoverlap surface 311 b may be disposed at the lower side of the firstinner wall part 131 a, and closely contact the bottom surface of thefirst inner wall part 131 a, i.e., the bottom surface of the secondfront panel 130.

When the overlap surface 311 b contacts the bottom surface of the firstinner wall part 131 a closely as described above, the support surface311 a may connect to the first inner wall part 131 a in the front-reardirection. For example, when the housing 310 and the second front panel130 are coupled, the support surface 311 a and the upper surface of thefirst inner wall part 131 a may form a same, common planar surface. Tothis end, while a step may be formed between the overlap surface 311 band the support surface 311 a, the step may have a height correspondingto the thickness of the first inner wall part 131 a. Accordingly, thesupport surface 311 a and the upper surface of the first inner wall part131 a may connect smoothly in the form of an identical planar surface.

The water tank 320 may slide the support surface 311 a and the uppersurface of the first inner wall part 131 a and pass through the accesshole 132. Additionally, the water tank 320 may pass though the accesshole 132 while passing through a connection portion between the supportsurface 311 a and the upper surface of the first inner wall part 131 a.Since the support surface 311 a and the upper surface of the first innerwall part 131 a connect smoothly in the form of an identical planarsurface, the water tank 320 may move smoothly through the access hole132.

In an example, the support surface 311 a and the first inner wall part131 a may connect to each other while the end portion of the front ofthe support surface 311 a and the end portion of the rear of the firstinner wall part 131 a contact each other. The overlap surface 311 b maywrap the connection portion between the support surface 311 a and thefirst inner wall part 131 a from below. For example, the overlap surface311 b may block a gap of the connection portion between the supportsurface 311 a and the first inner wall part 131 a from below.

The support surface 311 a and the first inner wall part 131 a may be astructure that may be disposed in the section where the water tank 320moves and supports the water tank 320 from below. The water tank 320accommodates water. In terms of the support surface 311 a and the firstinner wall part 131 a that may be disposed in the section where thewater tank 320 accommodating water moves, water may be likely to flow inthe connection portion between the support surface 311 a and the firstinner wall part 131 a.

If water flowing in the connection portion between the support surface311 a and the first inner wall part 131 a flows downward through the gapbetween the support surface 311 a and the first inner wall part 131 a,the water may contaminate the inside of the electronic component space103 or the perimeter of the upper end of the door. Additionally, thewater may flow downward along the first front panel 120 and contaminatethe perimeter of the lower side of the cooking appliance. In response tothis concern, the gap may be blocked by the overlap surface 311 b thatwraps the connection portion between the support surface 311 a and thefirst inner wall part 131 a from below. Accordingly, the leakage ofwater through a gap between the second front panel 130 and the housing310, and the contamination of the cooling appliance caused by theleakage of water may be prevented effectively.

Further, the overlap surface 311 b may guide the position of the housing310 relative to the second front panel 130, in the process where thesecond front panel 130 and the housing 310 may be coupled. For example,the position where the overlap surface 311 b contacts the bottom surfaceof the first inner wall part 131 a may be the up-down position of thehousing 310 for coupling the housing 310 to the second front panel 130.

Further, the front-rear position of the housing 310 relative to thesecond front panel 130 may be guided by the support surface 311 a. Forexample, the position where the end portion of the front of the supportsurface 311 a contacts the end portion of the rear of the first innerwall part 131 a may be the front-rear position of the housing 310 forcoupling the housing 310 to the second front panel 130. For example, thefront-rear position of the housing 310 for coupling the housing 310 tothe second front panel 130 may be guided by the end portion of the frontof the support surface 311 a, contacting the end portion of the rear ofthe second inner wall part 131 b, and the up-down position of thehousing 310 for coupling the housing 310 to the second front panel 130may be guided by the overlap surface 311 b contacting the bottom surfaceof the first inner wall part 131 a.

A first front coupling part 311 c and a second front coupling part 311 dmay be provided on the lateral surface parts 313 of the housing 310. Thefirst front coupling part 311 c and the second front coupling part 311 dmay protrude forward from the end portion of the front of the lateralsurface part 313. Additionally, the second front panel 130 may include afitting coupling part 133 a, and a fixing coupling part 133 b. Thefitting coupling part 133 a and the fixing coupling part 133 b may beprovided on the rear surface of the second front panel 130 in aprotruding manner.

In this example, the first front coupling part 311 c and the secondfront coupling part 311 d may be respectively provided on both of thelateral surface parts 313 of the housing 310. For example, the firstfront coupling part 311 c and the second front coupling part 311 d maybe disposed on the left lateral surface part 313 of the housing 310 andspaced a predetermined distance apart from each other in the up-downdirection, and the first front coupling part 311 c and the second frontcoupling part 311 d may also be disposed on the right lateral surfacepart 313 of the housing 310 and spaced a predetermined distance apartfrom each other in the up-down direction.

In response, the second front panel 130 may include a pair of fittingcoupling parts 133 a and a pair of fixing coupling parts 133 b. The pairof fitting coupling parts 133 a may be spaced from each other in thelateral direction, with the access hole 132 therebetween, and the pairof fixing coupling parts 133 b may be spaced from each other materiallywith the access hole 132 therebetween. The fitting coupling part 133 aand the fixing coupling part 133 b may be spaced a predetermineddistance apart from each other in the up-down direction.

Each of the first front coupling parts 311 c may be coupled to each ofthe fitting coupling parts 133 a, and each of the second front couplingparts 311 d may be coupled to each of the fixing coupling parts 133 b.The first front coupling part 311 c may be fitted and coupled to thefitting coupling part 133 a. Additionally, the second front couplingpart 311 d may be coupled to the fixing coupling part 133 b by afastening member s that fixes the second front coupling part 311 d tothe fixing coupling part 133 b.

In an example, the first front coupling part 311 c may be coupled to thefitting coupling part 133 a, based on a hook-coupling method. To thisend, the first front coupling part 311 c may be shaped into a hook thathas an elastically deformable projection in the lateral direction or inthe up-down direction. The second front coupling part 311 d may beprovided as a structure having a fitting hole that may be open forward,and a holding jaw that surrounds the perimeter of the fitting hole.

The fitting coupling part 133 a may be provided as a structure thatprotrudes upward from the end portion of the front of the lateralsurface part 313. The fitting coupling part 133 a may have a hollow holethat may be formed in a penetrating manner, in the front-rear direction.Additionally, the fixing coupling part 133 b may be provided in the formof a boss that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the secondfront panel 130. The fixing coupling part 133 b may have a hollow holethat may be formed in a penetrating manner, in the front-rear direction.The fitting coupling part 133 a and the fixing coupling part 133 b maybe coupled by a fastening member such as a screw and the like thatpenetrates the hollow holes of the fitting coupling part 133 a and thefixing coupling part 133 b.

The first front coupling part 311 c may be coupled to the fittingcoupling part 133 a, based on a hook coupling method, and fitted andcoupled to the second front panel 130. The second front coupling part311 d may be coupled to the second front panel 130 by a fastening memberthat fixes the second front coupling part 311 d to the fixing couplingpart 133 b.

Coupling the housing 310 to the second front panel 130 may comprisefitting the first front coupling part 311 c to the fitting coupling part133 a, temporarily fixing the housing 310 to the second front panel 130,and then fixing the second front coupling part 311 d to the fixingcoupling part 133 b with a fastening member. In this example, a fittingand coupling process may be performed at a plurality of points along thelateral direction, and a fitting and coupling process and a fixing andcoupling process may be performed together at a plurality of pointsalong the up-down direction. Since the fitting and coupling process andthe fixing and coupling process may be performed at a plurality ofpoints as described above, the housing 310 and the second front panel130 may be coupled reliably. As a result, the housing 310 and the secondfront panel 130 may be coupled easily and rapidly, and the housing 310may be reliably fixed in an accurate position, relative to the secondfront panel 130.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11 , the second front panel 130 may include areinforcement rib 133 c. The reinforcement rib 133 c may be disposednear the second inner wall part 131 b that may be disposed at the upperside of the access hole 132. The reinforcement rib 133 c may protrudefrom the upper surface of the second inner wall part 131 b. Thereinforcement rib 133 c may be disposed to overlap the access hole 132in the up-down direction.

The second front panel 130 may include a plurality of reinforcement ribs133 c. For example, the plurality of reinforcement ribs 133 c may bedisposed on the upper surface of the second inner wall part 131 b alongthe lateral direction. The plurality of reinforcement ribs 133 c thatprotrudes from the second inner wall part 131 b as described above mayimprove the strength of the second inner wall part 131 c.

As described above, the first inner wall part 131 a and the second innerwall part 131 b may be disposed on the path in which the water tank 320moves. The first inner wall part 131 a may support the water tank 320passing through the access hole 132 from below, and the second innerwall part 131 b may be disposed at the upper side of the water tank 320passing through the access hole 132. When the water tank 320 is filledwith water, a significant load may be applied to the first inner wallpart 131 a. The load applied to the first inner wall part 131 a may actas a force of making the second inner wall part 131 b hang down. In oneexample, the first inner wall part 131 a may be coupled to the bottomsurface of the housing 310. Additionally, the bottom surface of thefirst inner wall part 131 a may be supported by the overlap surface 311b that may be disposed at the lower side of the first inner wall part131 a. For example, the first inner wall part 131 a may be supported bythe housing 310 that may be coupled to the first inner wall part 131 a,and resists the load applied by the water tank 320 effectively.

In the case where the shape of the first inner wall part 131 a may bedeformed due to the load applied to the first inner wall part 131 a, thedeformation of the first inner wall part 131 a may affect the secondinner wall part 131 b. For example, in the case where the first innerwall part 131 a sags, the second inner wall part 131 b connecting withthe first inner wall part 131 a hangs downward together with the firstinner wall part. When the second inner wall part 131 b hangs downward,the second inner wall part 131 b presses the water tank 320 downward,and the water tank 320 may tilt, causing an increase in the frictionbetween the second inner wall part 131 b and the water tank 320 andpreventing the water tank 320 from moving smoothly. Also, when thesecond inner wall part 131 b hangs downward, aesthetic qualities of theexterior of the cooking appliance deteriorate, and the friction betweenthe second inner wall part 131 b and the water tank 320 increases,causing noise at a time of moving the water tank 320.

Unlike the first inner wall part 131 a, the second inner wall part 131 bmay be not coupled to the housing 310. In the case where an externalforce may be applied downward to the second inner wall part 131 b, thesecond inner wall part 131 b may be deformed more easily than the firstinner wall part 131 a.

Considering this deformation of the first inner wall part 131 a and thesecond inner wall part 131 b, a plurality of reinforcement ribs 133 cmay be formed on the upper surface of the second inner wall part 131 b.The reinforcement ribs 133 c may support the second inner wall part 131b to prevent the second inner wall part 131 b from hanging downwardeasily. For example, the first inner wall part 131 a may be supported bythe housing 310 coupled to the first inner wall part 131 a, to resist aload applied by the water tank 320 effectively. When the load resistanceof the first inner wall part 131 a increases as described above, thesecond inner wall part 131 b may be less affected by a load applied tothe first inner wall part 131 a. Further, since the second inner wallpart 131 b may be supported by the reinforcement ribs 133 c, the secondinner wall part 131 b may resist a force applied to the second innerwall part 131 b effectively.

An interaction between the force of supporting the first inner wall part131 a and the force of supporting the second inner wall part 131 b maylead to effective support of the second inner wall part 131 b such thatthe second inner wall part 131 b may be prevented from sagging. Thus,the cooking appliance in the example may effectively suppress the sag ofthe second inner wall part 131 b, the inclination of the water tank 320caused by the sag of the second inner wall part, the failure in thewithdrawal/insertion of the water tank 320, the deterioration in theexterior of the cooking appliance, an increase in noise, and the like.

The second front panel 130 may further comprise an outer wall part 131d. The outer wall part 131 d may be disposed at the upper side of thesecond inner wall part 131 b. The outer wall part 131 d may protruderearward from the panel main body 131, like the second inner wall part131 b.

Further, the second front panel 130 may further comprise a connectionrib 133 d. The connection rib 133 d may protrude rearward from the panelmain body 131. The connection rib 133 d may be provided to connectbetween the outer wall part 131 d and the second inner wall part 131 b.The connection rib 133 d may connect the second inner wall part 131 bwith the outer wall part 131 d, and improve the strength of the secondinner wall part 131 b. The connection rib 133 d may improve the strengthof the panel main body part 131.

[Disposition Relationship Between Duct Part and Water Supply Device]

FIG. 12 is a perspective view separately showing an upper panel and ahousing of a cooking appliance in one example, FIG. 13 is a plan viewshowing a coupling state between the upper panel and the housing in FIG.11 , and FIG. 14 is a side view showing a coupling state between theupper panel and the housing in FIG. 11 .

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 12 to 14 , the upper panel 140 may be disposedat the upper side of the cavity 110, and the housing 310 may be disposedat the upper side of the upper panel 140. In this example, at least aportion of the housing 310 may be disposed to overlap a duct part 143 inthe up-down direction. For example, at least a portion of the housing310 may be disposed in the upper area of the duct part 143.

In one example, the housing 310 may be shaped into an approximatecuboid, for example. The bottom surface of the housing 310 may be shapedinto a horizontally planar surface parallel with a planar surface thatmay be formed by the blocking panel part 141 of the upper panel 140approximately. Accordingly, when at least a portion of the housing 310,as described above, was disposed in the upper area of the duct part 143,most of the area of the housing 310 may be spaced from the blockingpanel part 141 in the up-down direction. In this example, the entirearea of the housing 310 may be spaced upward from the blocking panelpart 141.

A partial area of the housing 310, disposed in the upper area of theduct part 143, may be mounted on the upper surface of the duct part 143.For example, the housing 310 may be spaced upward from the blockingpanel part 141 by a difference in the heights of the blocking panel part141 and the duct part 143 and mounted on the upper surface of the ductpart 143.

The water supply device 300 may further comprise a first downwardcoupling part (or first downward coupler) 311 e and a second downwardcoupling part (or second downward coupler) 311 f. The first downwardcoupling part 311 e may be disposed in an area that may be in the upperportion of the duct part 132, out of the two areas of the housing 310.The second downward coupling part 311 f may be disposed in an area thatmay be in the upper portion of the blocking panel part 141, out of thetwo areas of the housing 310.

The first downward coupling part 311 e may protrude from the housing 310toward the duct part 143. For example, the first downward coupling part311 e may protrude in the lateral direction from an edge that connectsbetween the bottom surface part 311 and the lateral surface part 313.The first downward coupling part 311 e may be coupled to the duct part143, at the upper side of the duct part 143.

Based on the coupling between the first downward coupling part 311 e andthe duct part 143, the housing 310 may be coupled to the duct part 143.A plurality of the first downward coupling parts 311 e may be providedin the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the housing 310 and the ductpart 143 may be coupled at a plurality of points, in the front-reardirection.

The second downward coupling part 311 f may protrude from the housing310 toward the blocking panel part 141. For example, the second downwardcoupling part 311 f may protrude downward from an edge that connectsbetween the bottom surface part 311 and the lateral surface part 313.The second downward coupling part 311 f may be coupled to the blockingpanel part 141, at the upper side of the blocking panel part 141. Basedon the coupling between the second downward coupling part 311 f and theblocking panel part 141, the housing 310 may be coupled to the blockingpanel part 141. At this time, the second downward coupling part 311 fmay protrude downward from the housing 310 by a length that correspondsto a difference in the heights of the blocking panel part 141 and theduct part 143.

In one example, the duct part 143 may be disposed approximately at thecenter in the electronic component space 103 in the lateral direction.The housing 310 may be eccentric to one side in the electronic componentspace 103 in the lateral direction. Accordingly, the first downwardcoupling part 311 e coupled to the duct part 143, and the seconddownward coupling part 311 f coupled to the blocking panel part 141 maybe spaced from each other in the lateral direction. For example, oneside of the housing 310 in the lateral direction may be coupled to theduct part 143 by the first downward coupling part 311 e, and the otherside of the housing 310 in the lateral direction may be coupled to theblocking panel part 141 by the second downward coupling part 311 f.

Additionally, the second downward coupling part 311 f may be eccentricto the rear of the housing 310. For example, the second downwardcoupling part 311 f may protrude from the end portion of the rear of thehousing 310. Accordingly, the front of the housing 310 may be coupled tothe second front panel 130, one side of the housing 310 in the lateraldirection may be coupled to the duct part 143 by the first downwardcoupling part 311 e, and the other side of the housing 310 in thelateral direction may be coupled to the blocking panel part 141 by thesecond downward coupling part 311 f. Further, the rear of the housingmay be coupled to the upper panel 140 by the first downward couplingpart 311 e and the second downward coupling part 311 f.

The housing 310, as described above, may be coupled to the second frontpanel 130 and the upper panel 140 at a plurality of points comprisingpoints at both sides in the front-rear direction and points at bothsides in the lateral direction, and reliably fixed to the inside of theelectronic component space 103. In relation to the housing 310 installedas described above, a partial area of the housing 310 may contact theduct part 143, and the remaining area of the housing 310 may be spacedfrom the blocking panel part 141. The duct part 143 may remain cold withthe help of cold air flowing in the duct part 143. Accordingly, apartial area of the housing 310, contacting the duct part 143, may becooled by the duct part 143.

Since the remaining area of the housing 310 may be spaced from theblocking panel part 141, the remaining area of the housing 310 may beless affected by the blocking panel part 141 and the temperature ofwhich may remain relatively higher than the duct part 143. For example,the remaining area of the housing 310 may remain spaced from theblocking panel part 141, and avoid the effect of heat transferred fromthe blocking panel part 141.

Further, a space between the remaining area and the blocking panel part141 may form an air passage in the lower area of the housing 310.External air may flow into the electronic component space 103 throughthe vent hole disposed in the lateral direction of the electroniccomponent space 103, and the drawn external air may cool the housing 310while passing through the lower area of the housing 310. As describedabove, the housing 310 in the example may be cooled by an external airpassing through the lower area of the housing 310, at the same time asthe housing 310 may be cooled by the duct part 143. Accordingly, thethermal resistance of the housing 310 may improve without causing anincrease in the manufacturing costs of the housing 310, and materialsfor the housing 310 may be freely selected.

[Water Tank and Surrounding Structure Thereof]

FIG. 15 may be an enlarged front view showing the front surface of awater tank that may be exposed to the front of a cooking appliance inone example, FIG. 16 may be a cross-sectional view along line ““XVI-XVI”in FIG. 15 , and FIG. 17 may be a bottom perspective view separatelyshowing a water tank of a cooking appliance in one example. FIG. 18 maybe a bottom view showing the water tank in FIG. 17 , and FIG. 19 may bea front cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between ahousing and water tank in one example.

Referring to FIGS. 15 to 18 , the front surface of the water tank 320may be exposed to the front of the second front panel 130 through theaccess hole 132. The front surface of the water tank 320 may have ashape comprising a planar surface that may be parallel with thevertically planar surface formed by the second front panel 130.Additionally, the front surface of the water tank 320 may be shaped intoa planar surface that may closely correspond the vertically planarsurface formed by the second front panel 130 (e.g., so that the frontsurface of the water tank 320 and the vertically planar surface formedby the second front panel 130 combine to form a single, smooth surface).The edge areas of both sides of the front surface of the water tank 320may also be shaped into curved surfaces to reduce the possibility of acollision between the water tank 320 and the second front panel 130 andthe risk of injuries caused by the water tank 320, while the water tank320 may be withdrawn.

In the state where the control panel 200 covers the second front panel130, the water tank 320 may be not exposed to the front of the cookingappliance. However, in the state where the control panel 200 moves awayfrom and exposes the second front panel 130, the water tank 320 may beexposed to the front of the cooking appliance. The user may withdraw thewater tank 320 exposed forward from the inside of the cooking applianceor insert the drawn water tank 320 into the cooking appliance throughthe access hole 132.

A grip part (or grip surface) 325 may be provided at the water tank 320to allow the user to hold the water tank 320. The grip part 325 may beexposed toward the front of the water tank 320. In the example, the grippart 325 may form a groove that may be concave rearward from the frontsurface of the water tank 320, at the water tank 320. The grip part 325may comprise a depressed surface part 325 a and a connected surface part325 b.

The depressed surface part 325 a may be spaced a predetermined distanceapart from the front surface of the water tank 320 rearward. Theconnected surface part 325 b may connect between the front surface ofthe water tank 320 and the depressed surface part 325 a. An insertionspace 326 surrounded by the connected surface part 325 b and thedepressed surface part 325 a may be formed at the lower side of theconnected surface part 325 b. The insertion space 326 may be openforward.

In an example, the depressed surface part 325 a may form a vertical wallsurface that extends upward from the bottom surface of the water tank320. The connected surface part 325 b may connect to the upper end ofthe depressed surface part 325 a. Accordingly, the insertion space 326may be disposed at the front of the depressed surface part 325 a and atthe lower side of the connected surface part 325 b. The insertion space326 may be eccentric to the lower side of the water tank 320, andexposed to a position eccentric to the lower side of the front surfaceof the water tank 320.

In one example, the connected surface part 325 b may incline upwardtoward the rear thereof. For example, the position of the connectedsurface part 325 b becomes higher toward the rear thereof. Accordingly,the insertion space 326 may be formed in a way that the insertion space236 expands upward toward the rear thereof. Since the insertion space326 has the above-described shape, a space into which the user's fingercomes may be effectively ensured in the insertion space 326, to allowthe user to grip the water tank 320 reliably.

Further, the water tank 320 may further comprise a grip projection 325c. The grip projection 325 c may be provided at the grip part 325, andprotrude from the connected surface part 325 b. A plurality of gripprojections 325 c may be disposed on the connected surface part 325 band spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other in thefront-rear direction. Each of the grip projections 325 c may protrudedownward from the connected surface part 325 b.

The connected surface part 325 b may be a portion touched by the user'sfinger when the user puts the user's hand into the grip part 325. Sincethe connected surface part 325 b may include the grip projections 325 c,the user may grip the water tank 320 reliably, and the slip of the watertank 320 from the user's hand may be suppressed effectively.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 17 to 19 , a sliding projection 327 may bedisposed between the housing 310 and the water tank 320. The slidingprojection 327 may be disposed between the bottom surface part 311 ofthe housing 310, and the bottom surface of the water tank 320. In oneexample, the sliding projection 327 may be provided at the water tank320, and the sliding projection 327 may protrude downward from thebottom surface of the water tank 320 to contact a top surface of thehousing 310. In another example, the sliding projection 327 may beprovided at the housing 310, and the sliding projection 327 may protrudeupward from the bottom surface part 311 of the housing 310 to contact abottom surface of the water tank 320.

A pair of sliding projections 327 may be disposed at the water tank 320and spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other in the lateraldirection. Each of the sliding projections 327 may be formed to extendin the front-rear direction.

The length of each of the sliding projections 327 in the lateraldirection may be less than the length of the bottom surface part 311 ofthe housing 310 in the lateral direction. For example, the slidingprojection 327 may be shaped into a long thin rod.

In terms of the water tank 320, the entire bottom surface of the watertank 320 may contact the bottom surface part 311 of the housing 310through the sliding projection 327 without contacting the bottom surfacepart 311 of the housing 310. For example, an area where the bottomsurface of the water tank 320 and the bottom surface part 311 of thehousing 310 contact may be limited to a contact area between the slidingprojection 327 and the bottom surface part 311.

The sliding projection 327 formed as described above may reduce acontact surface area between the housing 310 and the water tank 320, andreduce a frictional force that may be generated at a time when the watertank 320 moves. Further, a pair of guide projections 317 may be disposedat the housing 310 and spaced a predetermined distance apart from eachother in the lateral direction, and each of the guide projections 317may protrude upward from the bottom surface part 311 and extend in thefront-rear direction.

The length of the guide projection 317 in the up-down direction maybeless than the length of the sliding projection 327 in the up-downdirection. For example, while the sliding projection 327 contacts thebottom surface part 311 of the housing 310, the guide projection 317does not contact the bottom surface of the water tank 320. A distancebetween the pair of guide projections 317 in the lateral direction maybe greater than a distance between the pair of sliding projections 327in the lateral direction. Additionally, the pair of sliding projections327 provided at the water tank 320 may be disposed between the pair ofguide projections 317.

The sliding projections 327 disposed between the pair of guideprojections 317 as described above may move in the front-rear directionin an area limited between the pair of guide projections 317. Forexample, in terms of the guide projection 317, the area where the guideprojection 317 moves may be limited, the water tank 320 may be preventedfrom shaking in the lateral direction while the water tank 320 moves inthe front-rear direction.

Further, a lateral projection 329 may be provided at at least one of thehousing 310 and the water tank 320. The lateral projection 329 mayprotrude from the guide projection 317 or the sliding projection 327, tobe disposed between the guide projection 317 and the sliding projection327 that face each other in the lateral direction. In the example, thelateral projection 329 may be provided at the water tank 320, forexample. A plurality of lateral projections 329 may be disposed on thebottom surface of the water tank 320 and spaced a predetermined distanceapart from each other in the front-rear direction. Each of the lateralprojections 329 may protrude from the sliding projection 327 in thelateral direction, and be disposed between the sliding projection 327and the guide projection 317 that face each other in the lateraldirection.

For example, the pair of sliding projections 327 may be disposed betweenthe pair of guide projections 317, and the lateral projection 329 may berespectively disposed between the guide projection 317 and the slidingprojection 327 that face each other in the lateral direction. A total ofthe lengths of the pair of lateral projections 329 in the lateraldirection may correspond to a value calculated by deducting a distancebetween the pair of sliding projections 327 in the lateral directionfrom a distance between the pair of guide projections 317 in the lateraldirection. For example, a distance between the guide projection 317 andthe sliding projection 327 in the lateral direction, which face eachother in the lateral direction, may correspond to the length of thelateral projection 329 in the lateral direction.

Accordingly, the lateral projection 329 may fill the distance betweenthe guide projection 317 and the sliding projection 327 that face eachother in the lateral direction, and the sliding projections 327 may movebetween the pair of guide projections 317, only in the front-reardirection, and may not move in the lateral direction. The lateralprojection 329 may limit a lateral movement of the water tank 320 thatmoves in a passage formed between the pair of guide projections 317, inthe front-rear direction. For example, the lateral projection 329 maysuppress the generation of a lateral shake of the water tank 320 whilethe water tank 320 moves in the front-rear direction.

With the help of the lateral projection 329, a contact surface areabetween the guide projection 317 and the water tank 320 may be much lessthan a contact surface area between the sliding projection 327 and theguide projection 317. For example, the lateral projection 329 may reducethe contact surface area between the guide projection 317 and the watertank 320, resulting in a reduction in the frictional force that may begenerated at a time when the water tank 320 moves.

In certain examples, each lateral projection 327 may be shaped into acurved surface. The lateral projection 329 may reduce a contact surfacearea between the guide projection 317 and the lateral projection 329effectively. In the case where the lateral projection 329 may be shapedinto a curved surface, the lateral projection 329 may be readilyinserted into an area between the pair of guide projections 317, at atime when the water tank 320 may be inserted into the housing 310.

Referring to FIGS. 15, 16 and 19 , the second front panel 130 mayinclude a lower groove part (or lower groove) 134. The lower groove part134 may be provided on the front surface of the first inner wall part131 a, and exposed toward the front of the first inner wall part 131 a.The lower groove part 134 may be depressed rearward from the frontsurface of the first inner wall part 131 a. A space surrounded by thelower groove part 134 on the first inner wall part 131 a may be openforward and upward.

Additionally, the lower groove part 134 may be depressed downward fromthe upper end of the first inner wall part 131 a. The lower groove part134 formed as described above may be open upward toward the grip part325. The lower groove part 134 may connect to the inner space of thegrip part 325, i.e., the insertion space 326, in the up-down direction.

The lower groove part 134 may expand a front entrance of the insertionspace 326 formed in the grip part 325. The lower groove part 134 mayallow the user to put the user's hand into the grip part 325 and holdthe water tank 320 readily. For example, the upper end of the firstinner wall part 131 a may be formed to incline downward toward thefront. Accordingly, the lower groove part 134 that may be concavelydepressed downward and forward may be provided at the upper end of thefirst inner wall part 131 a.

[Control Panel and Surrounding Structure Thereof]

FIG. 20 is a view showing an operation state of an opening module of acooking appliance in one example, and FIG. 21 is an enlarged viewshowing portion “XXI” in FIG. 20 . Referring to FIGS. 4 to 5 and 20 to21 , the cooking appliance in one example may comprise control panel 200that may be provided to open the second front panel 130 forward.

The control panel 200 may be provided to swivel between closing positionand opening position. For example, the closing position may be positionof the electronic component space 103 or the control panel 200 thatblocks a structure disposed at the front of the electronic componentspace 103, from the front. The opening position may be the position ofthe electronic component space 103 or the control panel 200 that opens astructure disposed at the front of the electronic component space 103,forward, for example. When the front of the electronic component space103 is blocked by the second front panel 130, closing position may bedefined as the position of the control panel 200 that blocks the secondfront panel 130 from the front of the second front panel. The openingposition may be defined as the position of the control panel 200 thatopens the second front panel 130 forward.

If the second front panel 130 is not between the electronic componentspace 103 and the control panel 200, the closing position may be definedas the position of the control panel 200 that blocks the electroniccomponent space 103 from the front of the electronic component space103. Then, the opening position may be defined as the position of thecontrol panel 200 that opens the electronic component space 103 forward.

The cooking appliance in the example may further comprise a hinge module250. The hinge module 250 may support the control panel 200 in a waythat the control panel 200 can swivel around an axis in the lateraldirection. The center of the swivel of the control panel 200 may bedisposed further downward than the center of the control panel 200 inthe up-down direction. In an example, the control panel 200 may swivelaround the lower end of the control panel 200.

As the control panel 200 swivels from the closing position to theopening position, the control panel 200 may swivel around the lower endthereof and be unfolded forward. At this time when the control panel 200swivels forward around a lower end to an open position, the rear surfaceof the control panel 200 faces upward, and the front surface of thecontrol panel 200 faces downward.

As the control panel 200 swivels from the opening position to theclosing position, the control panel 200 may swivel around the lower endthereof and stand vertically. The control panel 200 may stand inparallel with the second front panel 130 and block the second frontpanel 130 from the front thereof. At this time when the control panel200 swivels around a lower end to then closed position, the frontsurface of the control panel 200 faces forward (e.g., away from thesecond front panel 130), and the rear surface of the control panel 200faces rearward (e.g., toward the second front panel 130).

The control panel 200 may be swivably coupled to the main body 100 withthe hinge module 250. The cooking appliance may include a pair of hingemodules 250, and the pair of hinge modules 250 may be spaced apredetermined distance from each other in the lateral direction. Forexample, the pair of hinge modules 250 may be spaced from each other bya distance close to the length of the control panel 200 in the lateraldirection. Accordingly, each of the hinge modules 250 may connect to thecontrol panel 200, in a position adjacent to the end portion of thecontrol panel 200 in the lateral direction.

At least a portion of each of the hinge modules 250 may be disposed inthe electronic component space 103. Each of the hinge modules 250 may becoupled at least one of the protruding surface part 123, 125 thatprotrudes upward from the lateral end of the first front panel 120, thelateral surface of the cavity 110 that protrudes upward toward theelectronic component space 103 from the cooking space 101, and the upperpanel 140 that defines the lower boundary surface of the electroniccomponent space 103, and fixed to the inside of the electronic componentspace 103.

Each of the hinge modules 250 may comprise a hinge part (or hinge) 251and a hinge case 255. The hinge part 251 may be provided to support thecontrol panel 200 swivably. The hinge part 251 may be hinge-coupled tothe control panel 200 in a position eccentric to the lower side of thecontrol panel 200.

The hinge case 255 may form the exterior of the hinge module 250, andaccommodate at least a portion of the hinge part 251. The hinge case 255may support the hinge part 251 swivably. For example, the control panel200 may be swivably supported by the end portion of the front of thehinge part 251, and the end portion of the rear of the hinge part 251may be swivably supported by the hinge case 255.

In one example, the hinge case 255 may be shaped into a cuboid, forexample. In an example, the hinge case 255 may be shaped into arectangle box that has a relatively narrow width in the lateraldirection and has a relatively long length in the front-rear direction.

The hinge case 255 formed as described above may be disposed in theelectronic component space 103. Each of the hinge modules 250 may bedisposed at the rear of the protruding surface part 123, 125 thatprotrudes upward from the lateral end of the first front panel 120, andaccordingly, each hinge case 255 may be disposed at the rear of theprotruding surface part 123, 125.

The front surface of the hinge case 255 may be disposed to face the rearsurface of the protruding surface part 123, 125. The front surface ofthe hinge case 255 may be coupled to the protruding surface part 123,125. In one example, the front surface of the hinge case 255 may becoupled to the protruding surface part 123, 125, and the lateral surfaceof the hinge case 255 may be coupled to the lateral surface of thecavity 110. Since two or more surfaces of the hinge case 255 may becoupled to the main body 100, the hinge module 250 may support thecontrol panel 200 reliably.

Additionally, each of the protruding surface parts 123, 125 may includea passage hole 124. The passage hole 124 may be formed in a way thatpenetrates the protruding surface part 123, 125 in the front-reardirection. The passage hole 124 may be disposed on the front surface ofthe hinge case 255 and may be disposed in an area where the passage hole124 overlaps the hinge part 251 in the front-rear direction. The hingepart 251 may pass through the protruding surface part 123, 125 throughthe passage hole 124 that may be formed as described above.

Further, the second front panel 130 may have a passage hole 130 a thatcommunicates with the passage hole 124. The hinge part 251 may penetratethe first front panel 120 and the second front panel 130 through thepassage hole 124 of the first front panel 120 and the passage hole 130 aof the second front panel 130.

[Structure and Operation of Opening Module]

FIG. 22 may be a cross-sectional view along line “XXII-XXII” in FIG. 20, and FIG. 23 may be a view showing a rotation state of a push member inFIG. 21 . Referring to FIGS. 20 to 22 , the cooking appliance in oneexample may further comprise an opening module 400. The opening module400 may be provided to push the control panel 200 in the closingposition forward and move the control panel 200 to the opening position.

The opening module 400 may comprise a pushing member 410. The pushingmember 410 may be disposed at the rear of the control panel 200 such waythat the pushing member 410 can rotate. In one example, the pushingmember 410 may be provided to rotate around an axis in the up-downdirection. The pushing member 410 may be shaped into a cam correspondingto eccentric wheel or a cylinder with an irregular shape. A portion ofthe pushing member 410 may protrude further than the remaining portionof the pushing member 410 in the centrifugal direction.

In one example, the pushing member 410 may be shaped into a cam thatpushes the control panel 200 forward based on contacting the rearsurface of the control panel 200 at least once while the pushing member410 rotates once. Accordingly, while the pushing member 410 rotatesonce, the rear surface of the control panel 200 may contact the pushingmember 410. As the rear surface of the control panel 200 contacts thepushing member 410, as described above, the pushing member 410 maycontact the rear surface of the control panel 200 and push the controlpanel 200 forward, and the control panel 200 may be pushed forward bythe pushing member 410 and moved toward the opening position.

The opening module 400 may be disposed in the electronic component space103. The pushing member 410 provided at the opening module 400 may alsobe disposed in the electronic component space 103. For example, thepushing member 410 may be disposed at the rear of the second front panel130. When the control panel 200 is in the closing position, the entirearea of the pushing member 410 may be disposed at the rear of the secondfront panel 130. As the pushing member 410 starts to rotate, a partialarea of the pushing member 410 may protrude toward the front of thesecond front panel 130.

The second front panel 130 may have a camp passage hole 136. The campassage hole 136 may be formed at the panel main body part 131 in a waythat penetrates the panel main body part 131 in the front-reardirection. The cam passage hole 136 may form a passage allowing thepushing member 410 to pass through the second front panel 130.

A partial area of the pushing member 410 may protrude to the front ofthe second front panel 130 through the cam passage hole 136. In thisstate in which a portion of pushing member 410 extends through the campassage hole 136, the pushing member 410 may keep rotating and return toa position in which the entire area of the pushing member 410 returns tobe disposed at the rear of the second front panel 130 (hereafter, “astandby position”).

The opening module 400 may tilt the control panel 200 disposed in theclosing position forward, with a predetermined gradient. In one example,the predetermined gradient may be a gradient of the control panel 200associated with moving the control panel 200 to the opening positionusing the weight of the control panel 200. For example, the gradient ofthe control panel 200 in the opening position may be 0° while thegradient of the control panel in the closing position may be 90°, andthe predetermined gradient may be set in a range of 30 to 60°. Thepredetermined gradient may change based on the position of the center ofgravity of the control panel 200, the position of the swivel center ofthe control panel 200, the properties of the hinge module 250 and thelike.

The pushing member may push the control panel 200 forward to tilt thecontrol panel 200 with the predetermined gradient, while the pushingmember 410 rotates as the opening module 400 operates and tilts thecontrol panel 200 forward. The gradient of the control panel 200 thattilts forward may be adjusted based on a distance at which the pushingmember 410 pushes the control panel 200. The distance at which thepushing member 410 pushes the control panel 200 may vary depending onthe shape of the pushing member 410. For example, as the diameter andeccentricity of the pushing member 410 increase, the distance at whichthe pushing member 410 pushes the control panel 200 may increase.

In another example, the predetermined gradient may be the gradient ofthe control panel 200, which allows the control panel 200 to move to theopening position, only in the case where an external force may beadditionally applied. For example, in the case where the control panel200 swivels to a position further forward than the closing position butcannot swivel to the opening position on its own, the gradient of thecontrol panel 200 may be set to the predetermined gradient.

A primary opening operation of the control panel 200 may be performedbased on the operation of the opening module 400, and when the usermanually pulls the opening module forward, the control panel 200 maymove to the opening position. The predetermined gradient may be set to avalue at which the control panel 200 may be in the position where theuser easily holds and pulls the control panel 200 and in the positionwhere the control panel 200 cannot move to the opening position by usingits self weight. Thus, the user can move the control panel 200 to theopening position conveniently and readily, and the inadvertent fullopening of the control panel 200 caused by unintentional manipulationerrors can be prevented.

Additionally, the opening module 400 may further comprise a driving part420. The driving part 420 may be provided to supply power for rotatingthe pushing member 410. The driving part 420 may comprise a drivingmotor generating a rotational force for rotating the pushing member 410.

Additionally, the opening module 400 may further comprise a pushingmember sensing part (or pushing member sensor) 430. The pushing membersensing part 430 may be provided to control the operation of the drivingpart 420. In one example, the pushing member sensing part 430 may sensethe position of the pushing member 410, and based on the sensingresults, a controller controlling the operation of the cooking appliancemay control the operation of the driving part 420.

The pushing member sensing part 430 may include a sensor that contactsat least a portion of the pushing member 410 and senses the position ofthe pushing member 410. In one example, the pushing member sensing part430 comprises a micro switch-type sensor, and the pushing member sensingpart 430 may be turned on/off based on the movement of an actuatorprotruding on the micro switch. As described below, the actuatorprotruding on the micro switch may contact and be moved based oncontacting a portion of the pushing member 410.

For example, a contact projection 415 to selectively contact theactuator of the micro switch may be provided at the pushing member 410.The contact projection 415 may protrude from the pushing member 410. Theposition of the contact projection 415 may change while the contactprojection 415 rotates together with the pushing member 410. In oneexample, the contact projection 415 may be disposed in a positionadjacent to the outer circumferential surface of the pushing member 410.

The contact projection 415 may be provided to contact the actuatorprotruding on the sensor of the pushing member sensing part 430. Thesensor may be turned on/off based on the movement of the actuator incontact with the contact projection 415, and the pushing member sensingpart 430 may generate a signal indicating whether the sensor is turnedon/off. The position of the pushing member 410 may be determined basedon the signal generated by the micro switch.

In an example, the sensor of the pushing member sensing part 430 may bedisposed at the upper side of the pushing member 410. The actuator ofthe sensor may protrude downward toward the pushing member 410, and thecontact projection 415 may protrude upward from the pushing member 410toward the sensor. In the example, the pushing member sensing part 430and the contact projection 415 may be provided to find the position ofthe pushing member 410. For example, the pushing member sensing part 430and the contact projection 415 may be provided to determine whether thepushing member 410 returns to the standby position.

Accordingly, the position of the contact projection 415 may be set to aposition where the contact projection 415 contacts the actuator of thesensor as the pushing member 410 returns to the standby position. As thepushing member 410 returns to the standby position, the sensor of thepushing member sensing part 430 may be turned on. Thus, the driving part420 stops operating, and the position of the pushing member 410 may stayin the standby position.

The control panel 200 may include a plurality of buttons for setting anoperation of the heating part, and may also include a button for settingan opening and closing operation of the control panel 200 (hereafter, a“control panel opening and closing button”). When the user presses thecontrol panel opening and closing button, the driving part 420 starts tooperate, and accordingly, the pushing member 410 starts to rotate. Thepushing member 410, which starts to rotate as described above, may pushthe control panel 200 forward.

The control panel 200, which may be pushed forward as described above,may incline with the predetermined gradient, and then move to theopening position. The control panel 200 may move to the opening positionby using its self weight when the control panel 200 inclines forward bythe predetermined gradient away from a vertical closed position. Inanother example, in the state where the control panel 200 inclines witha gradient similar to the predetermined gradient, the user may move thecontrol panel 200 to the opening position manually.

As the pushing member 410 rotates as described above, the contactprojection 415 may move together with the pushing member 410. As thecontact projection 415 moves and contacts the actuator of the sensor asillustrated in FIG. 23 , the sensor may be turned on based on themovement of the actuator in contact with the contact projection 415 andgenerate a signal. The driving part 420 stops operating based on thesignal generated by the sensor, and accordingly, the pushing member 410stops moving. At this time, the pushing member 410 may stop moving inthe standby position and stay in the standby position. Thus, the pushingmember 410 may remain in the main body 100 without protruding out of themain body 100.

As the position of the control panel 200 changes to the openingposition, the second front panel 200 hidden behind the control panel 200may be exposed forward as illustrated in FIG. 4 . If the pushing member410 keeps protruding to the front of the second front panel 130 in thisstate, the aesthetic qualities of the cooking appliance may deteriorate,and the control panel 200 and the pushing member 410 may collide witheach other when the control panel 200 returns to the closing position.

If the control panel 200 and the pushing member 410 collide with eachother as the control panel 200 returns to the closing position,undesirable noises may be caused due to the collision, and the controlpanel 200 or the opening module 40 may be damaged. In addition, thecontrol panel 200 may not move to the closing position completely.

To prevent the control panel 200 and the pushing member 410 fromcolliding, the pushing member 410 may stop after pushing the controlpanel 200 and stays in the standby position. For example, the pushingmember sensing part 430 may sense the position of the pushing member410, and based on the sensing results, the operations of the pushingmember 410 and the driving part 420 rotating the pushing member 410 maybe controlled.

Thus, the cooking appliance in the example may prevent the generation ofnoise or damage to the control panel 200 or the opening module 400effectively, during the processes of opening and closing the controlpanel 200. Further, for the cooking appliance in the example, theexterior of the rear of the control panel 200 may ensure aestheticqualities, regardless of the opening state of the control panel 200, andthe control panel 200 may be opened and closed smoothly.

[Opening and Closing Structure of Control Panel]

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 , the cooking appliance in one example may beprovided in the form of a small-and-medium-sized steam oven. In acooking appliance provided in the form of a small-and-medium-sized steamoven, it may be difficult to obtain a space for disposing the watersupply device 300 between the cavity having the cooking space and thecontrol panel. To disposed the water supply device 300 between thecooking space and the control panel, an up-down gap tall enough for thewater supply device 300 should be provided between the upper surface ofthe cavity and the control panel. However, the gap may be difficult toprovide in the small-and-medium-sized steam oven.

The control panel 200 provided in the cooking appliance may serve as acover blocking the water supply device 300, particularly the water tank320, from the front. The control panel 200 may be provided in a way thatentirely covers the electronic component space 103 where the watersupply device 300 is disposed from the front. The front surface of theelectronic component space 103 may be covered by the control panel 200,but as the control panel 200 moves to the opening position, the insideof the electronic component space 103 may be open forward. To preventthe electronic component space 103 from opening forward, the secondfront panel 130 may be provided on the front surface of the electroniccomponent space 103. The second front panel 130 may be disposed at thefront of the electronic component space 103 and serve as a cover thatcovers the electronic component space 103 from the front of theelectronic component space 103.

Ordinarily, the first front panel 120 may be made of a metallic materialthat resists high temperature, while ensuring structural rigidity.Unlike the first front panel 120, the second front panel 130 may be madeof a synthetic resin such as plastics and the like. The second frontpanel 130 does not need to support a heavy load, and temperature aroundthe electronic component space 103 where the second front panel 130 isdisposed may be less than temperature around the cooking space 101 wherethe first front panel 120 may be disposed. Accordingly, the frontsurface of the electronic component space 103 may be covered by thesecond front panel 130 made of a material that may be relativelylightweight and cheaper in comparison to a metal plate that may be heavyand relatively expensive.

For the water tank 320 to be withdrawn and inserted, a passage forallowing the water tank 320 to come in and out may be formed on thefront surface of the electronic component space 103. The passage may beprovided by the access hole 132 formed on the second front panel 130.The water tank 320 may come in and out through the access hole 132, andthe front surface of the water tank 320 mounted in the electroniccomponent space 103 may be exposed to the front of the second frontpanel 130 through the access hole 132.

The control panel 200 may block the exposure of the front surface of thewater tank 320 and the access hole 132, while blocking the second frontpanel 130 from the front thereof. The control panel 200 may swivel tothe opening position to expose the access hole 132 forward, and in thisstate, the water tank 320 may come in and out.

Additionally, the area in which the second front panel 130 is disposedmay be an area that extends horizontally and may be easily bent anddeformed and the like. The area may be not exposed unless the controlpanel 200 is provided in a way that opens and closes the access hole132.

When the control panel 200 is provided as described in the examplesprovided in the drawings, the area associated with the second frontpanel 130 may be exposed together with the access hole 132 when thecontrol panel 200 opens the access hole 132. When the second front panel130 may be integrated with the first front panel 120, a bend deformationand the like of the second front panel 130 may be exposed in the casewhere the control panel 200 opens the access hole 132. Further, astructure in relation to the opening of the control panel 200, astructure in relation to the coming in and out of the water tank 320, astructure in relation to the fixation of the housing 310 and the likemay be provided at the second front panel 130.

If the second front panel 130 and the first front panel 120 are bothmade of a metallic material, the structures cause formation of thesecond front panel 130 to be a labor-intensive and costly. To preventthe costly and labor-intensive formation of the second front panel 130,the second front panel 130 may be not integrated with the first frontpanel 120 and may be provided apart from the first front panel 120, inone example.

For example, the second front panel 130, when configured as describedabove, may be made of a synthetic resin material such as plastics andthe like, unlike the first front panel 120 which made of a metallicmaterial. For example, the second front panel 130 may be made of asynthetic resin material having stiffness that is equal to or greater astiffness of a metallic material of the first front panel 120. Since thesecond front panel 130 may be provided as described above, the benddeformation of the second front panel 130 may be prevented, and theexterior of the second front panel 130, which is exposed as the controlpanel 200 opens the access hole 132, may look smooth and neat.

Additionally, since the second front panel 130 may be provided asdescribed above, the structure in relation to the opening of the controlpanel 200, a structure in relation to the coming in and out of the watertank 320, a structure in relation to the fixation of the housing 310 andthe like can be molded together with the second front panel 130, therebymaking it possible to easily manufacture the second front panel 130 andthe relevant structures at relatively low costs.

FIG. 24 is a view showing a change in the gradients of a control panelof a cooking appliance in one example, and FIG. 25 is a perspective viewshowing a withdrawn state of a water tank of a cooking appliance in oneexample. Referring to FIGS. 22 to 24 , the opening operation of thecontrol panel 200 in the example may be performed automatically. Forexample, as the user presses the control panel opening and closingbutton, the opening module 400 may push the control panel 200 forward(see FIGS. 22 and 23 ). Accordingly, the control panel 200 inclines withthe predetermine gradient (see FIG. 24 (position a)) and then move tothe opening position while gradually inclining forward by using its selfweight (see FIG. 24 (position b)).

Since the opening operation of the control panel 200 may be performedautomatically as described above, the cooking appliance of the examplemay help to reduce inconvenience caused by a manual operation and therisk of injuries of the user, caused by a manual operation.

The opening operation of the control panel 200 in the example may beperformed in a way that the control panel 200 swivels downward and maybe unfolded forward, and this may be an important factor for enabling anautomatic opening operation of the control panel 200.

The control panel 200 in the example may swivel around the lower end ofthe control panel 200, while swiveling between the closing position andthe opening position. The control panel 200 swivels around the lower endof the control panel 100 and move to the opening position.

The control panel 200 may swivel downward and move to the openingposition, and be unfolded forward in the opening position. The controlpanel 200 inclines with the predetermined gradient, based on theoperation of the opening module 400, and then moves to the openingposition by using its self weight.

This results from the downward swivel and the forward spread of thecontrol panel 200. In the case of a control panel 200 that swivelsupward, the above-described operation of the opening module 400 may notresult in the automatic opening operation of the control panel 200.

Further, the control panel 200 swiveled to the opening position andunfolded forward, as illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25 , may be disposedbetween the door 150 and the water tank 320.

For example, in the case where the control panel 200 swivels to theopening position and may be unfolded forward, the water tank 320 may bedisposed further upward than the control panel 200, while the water tank320 may be drawn from the electronic component space 103 or insertedinto the electronic component space 103.

Further, in the state where the control panel 200 swivels to the openingposition and may be unfolded forward, the access hole 132 may bedisposed further upward than the control panel 200.

Accordingly, the control pane 200 having opened the access hole 132 forallowing the water tank 320 to come in and out may be disposed furtherdownward than the path in which the water tank 320 moves.

Since the control panel 200 may be disposed further downward than thepath in which the water tank 320 moves, the control panel 200 does notserve as an obstacle that covers the access hole 132 and the water tank320, from the user's sight.

Thus, while the water tank 320 may be drawn or inserted, the access hole132 and the water tank 320 may be easily seen, and the user does notneed to move or bend to see the position of the access hole 132,ensuring improvement in ease of use and safety of the cooking appliance.Further, the control panel 200, disposed further downward than the pathin which the water tank 320 moves, may support the water tank 320 frombelow while the water tank 320 may be drawn or inserted, and guide thepath of movement of the water tank 320. Thus, the user may draw orinsert the water tank 320 in a safe and convenient manner.

Further, the control panel 200, when folded and disposed between thewater tank 320 and the door 150 as described above, may serve as astructure that blocks between the door 150 and the water tank 320. Forexample, the control panel 200 may blocks water flowing from the watertank 320 from being dropped to the door 150 and contaminating an areaaround the door 150. Further, the control panel 200 may also block heatdischarged upwards from the upper end of the door 150 and an area aroundthe upper end of the door (e.g., the cooking space) from being deliveredto the user when the user draws or insert the water tank 320.

In one example, the control panel 200 comprises the input part foradjusting the operation of the cooking appliance, and the displaydisplaying the operation state of the cooking appliance. In anotherexample, the control panel may be provided as a simple panel that doesnot comprise the input part, the display and the like. The control panelmay be disposed at the front of the electronic component space 103,cover the electronic component space 103, swivel downward and move tothe opening position, and be unfolded in the opening position, like thecontrol panel 200 provided above as an example.

In another example, the control panel 200 may also be provided in a waythat a portion of the control panel may be open while another portion ofthe control panel 200 remains closed. For example, the control panel 200may have a structure in which the control panel 200 may be divided intoa plurality of areas along the lateral direction. For example, a portionof the cover panel 200 at an area covering the water tank 320 from thefront of the water tank 320 may swivel downward and may be unfoldedforward to expose the water tank, while other ones of the plurality ofareas of the control panel 200 remain fixed without being open.

In yet another example, the control panel 200 may have a structure inwhich the control panel may be divided into a plurality of areas alongthe up-down direction. An upper area covering a front the water tank 320may swivel downward and may be unfolded forward to expose the water tank320, while other remaining areas of the control panel 200 remain fixedwithout being open.

As aspect of the present disclosure may provide a cooking appliancehaving an improved structure in which a structure in relation to a watertank is reliably fixed while an electronic component space is reliablycovered.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a cooking appliancehaving an improved structure in which a water tank is reliablysupported.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a cooking appliancehaving an improved structure in which a water tank is drawn and insertedreadily and reliably.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a cookingappliance having an improved structure in which a structure in relationto a water tank cools effectively.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in the cookingappliance, a housing is coupled to a second front panel being disposedat a front of an electronic component space, the housing accommodating awater tank is coupled to the second front panel, the second front panelhas an access hole for allowing the water tank to come in and out, andthe second front panel and the housing are coupled in a way that an openfront surface of the housing connects to the access hole.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a second frontpanel is disposed at an upper side of a first front panel being disposedat a front of a cooking space, the second front panel is disposed at afront of an electronic component space being disposed at an upper sideof the cooking space, a housing is coupled to the second front panel,and the housing is coupled to the second front panel in a way that atleast a portion of a bottom surface of the housing overlaps the secondfront panel in an up-down direction.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the cooking appliancemay comprise a cavity having a cooking space therein, the cooking spacehaving an open front; a door being disposed at a front of the cavity andopening and closing the cooking space; a first front panel beingdisposed between the cavity and the door; an electronic component spacebeing disposed at an upper side of the cooking space and at a rear ofthe first front panel; a housing being disposed in the electroniccomponent space and having an open front surface; a water tank beingaccommodated in the housing in a way that the water tank is drawnforward; and a second front panel being disposed to block a front of theelectronic component space and comprising an access hole that is formedin a way that penetrates the second front panel in a front-reardirection.

The second front panel may be coupled to the first front panel.

The housing may be coupled to the second front panel in a way that theopen front surface of the housing connects to the access hole.

The first front panel may comprise a protruding surface part protrudingupward from a lateral end of the first front panel, and the second frontpanel may be coupled to the protruding surface part.

The protruding surface part may be disposed respectively at both sidesof the first front panel in a lateral direction, and the second frontpanel may be disposed between a pair of the protruding surface parts andcoupled to each of the pair of protruding surface parts.

The first front panel may have a “

” shape in which upper ends of both sides of the first front panelprotrude upward, and the second front panel may be disposed between theprotruding upper ends of both sides of the first front panel.

The housing may comprise a bottom surface part being disposed at a lowerside of the water tank, and the housing may be coupled to the secondfront panel in a way that at least a portion of the bottom surface partoverlaps the second front panel in an up-down direction.

The bottom surface part may comprise a support surface being disposed atthe lower side of the water tank, and an overlap surface protrudingforward from the support surface.

The overlap surface may be disposed to overlap a bottom surface of thesecond front panel in the up-down direction.

The second front panel may comprise a first inner wall part beingdisposed at a lower side of the access hole, the overlap surface mayclosely contact a bottom surface of the first inner wall part, at alower side of the bottom surface part, and the support surface mayconnect to the first inner wall part in the front-rear direction.

The support surface and an upper surface of the first inner wall partmay form the same planar surface.

The overlap surface may be placed further downward than the supportsurface.

A step of a height corresponding to a thickness of the first inner wallpart may be formed between the overlap surface and the support surface.

The support surface and the first inner wall part may connect to eachother while an end portion of a front of the support surface and an endportion of a rear of the first inner wall part contact each other.

The overlap surface may surround a portion where the support surface andthe first inner wall part connect from below.

The housing may comprise comprises a bottom surface part being disposedin a lower portion of the water tank, and a lateral surface part beingdisposed in a lateral portion of the water tank and connecting to thebottom surface part.

The lateral surface part may be provided with a first coupling part anda second coupling part protruding forward, the first coupling part maybe fitted and coupled to the second front panel, and the second couplingpart may be coupled to the second front panel by a fastening memberfixing the second coupling part to the second front panel.

The second front panel may comprise a second inner wall part beingdisposed at an upper side of the access hole, and the second inner wallpart may comprise a planar surface extending in the front-rear directionand the lateral direction.

The second front panel may further comprise a reinforcement ribprotruding from an upper surface of the second inner wall part.

The reinforcement rib may be disposed to overlap the access hole in theup-down direction.

A plurality of the reinforcement ribs may be disposed along the lateraldirection.

The second front panel may further comprise a panel main body partcomprising a vertically planar surface that blocks the front of theelectronic component space.

The second inner wall part may protrude rearward from the panel mainbody part.

The second front panel may further comprise an outer wall partprotruding rearward from the panel main body part such that the outerwall part is disposed at an upper side of the second inner wall part;and a connection rib protruding from the panel main body part andconnecting between the outer wall part and the second inner wall part.

The cooking appliance may further comprise an upper panel being disposedat an upper side of the cavity.

The housing may be disposed at an upper side of the upper panel.

The upper panel may comprise a blocking panel part being disposed toblock between the cavity, and the electronic component space, and a ductpart protruding upward from the blocking panel part.

The duct part may form a passage for discharging air in the electroniccomponent space out of the electronic component space through an insideof the duct part.

The cooking appliance may further comprise a fan module allowing air inthe electronic component space to flow into the duct part.

At least a portion of the housing is disposed to overlap the duct partin the up-down direction.

The cooking appliance may further comprise a first downward couplingpart protruding from the housing to the duct part and being coupled tothe duct part at the upper side of the duct part, and a second downwardcoupling part protruding from the housing to the blocking panel part andbeing coupled to the blocking panel part.

The housing may be spaced from the blocking panel part in the up-downdirection, and the second downward coupling part may extend downwardfrom the housing by a distance between the housing and the blockingpanel part.

A sliding projection protruding downward from a bottom surface of thewater tank may be disposed between the bottom surface part and thebottom surface of the water tank, and the sliding projection may extendin the front-rear direction.

A pair of the sliding projections may be spaced a predetermined distanceapart from each other in the lateral direction.

A pair of guide projections may protrude upward from the bottom surfacepart, and the sliding projection may be disposed between the pair ofguide projections.

The cooking appliance may further comprise a lateral projectionprotruding from the guide projection or the sliding projection in a waythat the lateral projection is disposed between the guide projection andthe sliding projection facing each other in the lateral direction.

A plurality of the lateral projections may be spaced a predetermineddistance apart from each other in the front-rear direction.

A front surface of the water tank may be exposed to a front of thesecond front panel through the access hole, and a grip part may beprovided at the water tank in a way that the grip part is exposed to afront of the water tank.

The grip part may form a groove at the water tank, the groove beingconcave rearward from a front surface of the water tank.

The grip part may comprise a depressed surface part being spacedrearward from the front surface of the water tank by a predetermineddistance; and a connected surface part connecting between the frontsurface of the water tank and the depressed surface part.

An insertion space being surrounded by the connected surface part andthe depressed surface part may be formed at a lower side of theconnected surface part, and the insertion space may be open forward.

The water tank may further comprise a grip projection protrudingdownward from the connected surface part.

The connected surface part may incline upward toward the rear.

A lower groove part may be provided on a front surface of the firstinner wall part in a way that the lower groove part is exposed to afront of the first inner wall part.

The lower groove part may be formed in a way that the lower groove partis depressed rearward from the front surface of the first inner wallpart, and a space being surrounded by the lower groove part may be openupward and forward.

The lower groove part may be formed in a way that the lower groove partis depressed downward from an upper end of the first inner wall part.Preferably, the lower groove part may connect to a space in the grippart in the up-down direction.

The upper end of the first inner wall part may incline upward toward therear.

For the cooking appliance of the present disclosure, the electroniccomponent space may be covered reliably by the second front panel madeof a material that is lightweight and cheap, and the housing may becoupled to the second front panel in a way that a gap of the portionwhere the second front panel and the housing are coupled is blocked bythe overlap surface.

In the present disclosure, the second front panel may be used to coverthe electronic component space reliably while suppressing an increase inthe weight of the cooking appliance and the manufacturing costs of thecooking appliance.

In the present disclosure, a structure in relation to the water tanklike the housing disposed in the electronic component space may bereliably fixed to the second front panel covering the electroniccomponent space, preventing a leakage through the coupling portionbetween the second front panel and the housing as well as fixing astructure in relation to the water tank reliably.

Additionally, a structure in which the overlap surface supports thebottom surface of the first inner wall part, a structure in which thereinforcement rib is formed on the upper surface of the second innerwall part, and the like may be applied to the housing, enabling thehousing to resist a load applied by the water tank effectively.

In the present disclosure, the water tank may be supported reliably, andfailure in the withdrawal/insertion of the water tank, damage to theexterior of the cooking appliance, an increase in noise and the like maybe suppressed effectively.

In the present disclosure, the housing may be cooled by external airpassing through the lower area of the housing at the same time as thehousing is cooled by the duct part, ensuring improvement in coolingefficiency of the housing.

In the present disclosure, the degradation of the housing may beprevented effectively, and a material for manufacturing the housing maybe freely selected.

The embodiments are described above with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof. However, embodiments are not limitedto the embodiments and drawings set forth herein, and numerous othermodifications and embodiments can be drawn by one skilled in the artwithin the technical scope of the disclosure The technical scope ofprotection of the subject matter of the disclosure is to be definedaccording to following claims.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” another element or layer, the element or layer can bedirectly on another element or layer or intervening elements or layers.In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These termsare only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “lower”, “upper” and the like, may beused herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of oneelement or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated inthe figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in use oroperation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. Forexample, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements describedas “lower” relative to other elements or features would then be oriented“upper” relative to the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplaryterm “lower” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used hereininterpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectionillustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments(and intermediate structures). As such, variations from the shapes ofthe illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniquesand/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustratedherein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example,from manufacturing.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances ofsuch phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection withany embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance, comprising: cavity wallsdefining a cooking space therein, the cooking space having an openfront; a door provided at a front of the cavity walls and configured toopen and close the cooking space; a first front panel provided betweenthe cavity walls and the door; an electronic component space providedabove the cooking space and rear of the first front panel; and a secondfront panel provided to cover at least a portion of a front of theelectronic component space, wherein the second front panel is coupled tothe first front panel.
 2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein thefirst front panel includes a surface protrusion protruding upward from alateral end of the first front panel, and the second front panel iscoupled to the surface protrusion.
 3. The cooking appliance of claim 2,wherein the first front panel includes a pair of the surface protrusionsthat are provided, respectively, at both sides of the first front panelin a lateral direction, and the second front panel is provided betweenthe pair of surface protrusion and coupled to each of the pair ofsurface protrusions.
 4. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein: thecooking appliance further comprises: a housing provided in theelectronic component space and having an open front surface, and a watertank accommodated in the housing and configured to be withdrawn forward,and the open front surface of the housing is coupled to the second frontpanel to connect to an access hole.
 5. The cooking appliance of claim 4,wherein the housing includes a bottom wall provided below the watertank, the bottom wall includes a support surface provided at below thewater tank, and an overlap surface protruding forward from the supportsurface, and the overlap surface is positioned to overlap a bottomsurface of the second front panel in an up-down direction.
 6. Thecooking appliance of claim 5, wherein the second front panel includes afirst inner wall surface provided at a lower side of the access hole,the overlap surface contacts the first inner wall surface at a lowerside of the bottom wall, and the support surface connects to the firstinner wall surface in a front-rear direction.
 7. The cooking applianceof claim 1, wherein: the cooking appliance further comprises: a housingprovided in the electronic component space and having an open frontsurface, and a water tank accommodated in the housing and configured tobe withdrawn forward, the housing includes a bottom wall facing a lowerportion of the water tank, and a lateral walls facing a lateral portionof the water tank and connecting to the bottom wall of the housing, thelateral wall includes a first front coupling protrusion and a secondfront coupling protrusion protruding forward, the first front couplingprotrusion is fitted to and coupled to the second front panel, and thesecond front coupling protrusion is coupled to the second front panel bya fastener fixing the second front coupling protrusion to the secondfront panel.
 8. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the secondfront panel includes a second inner wall surface provided at an upperside of an access hole, the second inner wall surface extends in afront-rear direction and a lateral direction, and the second front panelfurther include a reinforcement rib protruding from the second innerwall surface.
 9. The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the secondfront panel further includes a panel main body surface that covers thefront of the electronic component space, and the second inner wallsurface protrudes rearward from the panel main body surface.
 10. Thecooking appliance of claim 9, the second front panel, further includes:an outer wall protruding rearward from the panel main body surface suchthat the outer wall is provided at an upper side of the second innerwall surface; and a connection rib protruding from the panel main bodysurface and connecting between the outer wall and the second inner wallsurface.
 11. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the cookingappliance further comprises: a housing provided in the electroniccomponent space and having an open front surface, and an upper panelprovided above the cavity walls, and the housing is provided above theupper panel.
 12. The cooking appliance of claim 11, wherein the upperpanel comprises a blocking panel provided between the cavity walls andthe electronic component space, and a duct region provide betweenregions of the blocking panel protruding upward, the duct region forms apassage for discharging air in the electronic component space out of theelectronic component space through the duct region, and the cookingappliance further comprises a fan module causing air in the electroniccomponent space to flow into the duct region.
 13. The cooking applianceof claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the housing overlaps the ductregion in the up-down direction.
 14. The cooking appliance of claim 13,wherein: the cooking appliance further comprises a first downwardcoupling protrusion protruding from the housing to the duct region andcoupled to the duct region, and a second downward coupling protrusionprotruding from the housing to the blocking panel and coupled to theblocking panel, the housing is spaced from the blocking panel in theup-down direction, and the second downward coupling protrusion extendsdownward from the housing by a distance between the housing and theblocking panel.
 15. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein: thecooking appliance further comprises: a housing provided in theelectronic component space and having an open front surface, and a watertank accommodated in the housing and configured to be withdrawn forward,the housing includes a bottom wall provided to face a bottom surface ofthe water tank, a sliding projection protrudes downward from the bottomsurface of the water tank and toward the bottom wall of the housing, andthe sliding projection extends in a front-rear direction.
 16. Thecooking appliance of claim 15, wherein: a pair of the slidingprojections are spaced a predetermined distance apart in a lateraldirection, a pair of guide projections protrudes upward from the bottomwall, and the pair of sliding projections are provided between the pairof guide projections.
 17. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein:the cooking appliance further comprises a lateral projection protrudingfrom the guide projection or the sliding projection, and the lateralprojection is provided between the guide projection and the slidingprojection.
 18. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein: the cookingappliance further comprises a housing provided in the electroniccomponent space and having an open front surface, and a water tankaccommodated in the housing and configured to be withdrawn forward, afront surface of the water tank is exposed to a front of the secondfront panel through an access hole, a grip is provided at the water tanksuch that the grip is exposed to a front of the water tank, and the gripincludes a groove in the water tank, the groove being concave rearwardfrom a front surface of the water tank.
 19. The cooking appliance ofclaim 18, wherein: the grip includes: a depressed surface that is spacedrearward from the front surface of the water tank; and a connectedsurface extending between the front surface of the water tank and thedepressed surface, an insertion space surrounded by the connectedsurface and the depressed surface is formed at a lower side of theconnected surface, and the insertion space is open forward.
 20. Thecooking appliance of claim 18, wherein the second front panel includes afirst inner wall surface provided at a lower side of the access hole, alower groove is provided on a front surface of the first inner wallsurface such that the lower groove is exposed to a front of the firstinner wall surface, the lower groove is depressed rearward from thefront surface of the first inner wall surface, and a space surrounded bythe lower groove is open upward and forward.